Inflatable shelter

ABSTRACT

An Inflatable Shelter is disclosed. The shelter includes a plurality of arched tubes designed to rest directly upon the ground or other surface. In order to provide cooling to occupants of the shelter, the shelter may include an attachable misting mesh for dispensing a fine mist of water or other fluid from the top of the shelter. The misting mesh may also be incorporated within the inflatable tubes of the shelter. Furthermore, the shelter may be attachable to an inflation air source as well as a liquid source for pressurizing the misting mesh. Still further, the structure may include tie-down loops extending from the feet of the arched tubes; these tubes being provided to accept stakes therethrough.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates generally to utility structures and, morespecifically, to an Inflatable Shelter

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] A myriad of temporary structures are available for a variety ofspecialty and general purposes. Many times these structures arelightweight tent-type structures that provide protection from the sunand weather as well as providing some measure of privacy. Thesestructures are generally collapsible in order to make them easy totransport from location to location. The problem with tent structures isthat their frames are many times fairly heavy and/or difficult to handlein cases where above-average durability or stability is required.Furthermore, the frame members are generally constructed from metal(again, for durability), which can corrode over time. None of thesetent-type structures provides a lightweight, durable and easily-erectedprotective structure.

[0005] One specialty application area for temporary outdoor structuresthat has exploded in recent years is that of the play toy known as the“bounce house.” FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventionalinflatable “bounce house.” The conventional bounce house is a completelycollapsible structure that can be erected in minutes by a single person.As shown in the FIG. 1 example, the house 10 consists of two or moreinflatable frame members 16 interconnected by wall skins 20 and a roofskin 18. As is indicated by their name, the bounce house 10 has aninflatable floor pad 12 upon which children can bounce to their hearts'content without harm.

[0006] The houses 10 are generally transported to and from the locationsof use in a tote bag (albeit a fairly large bag); upon arrival at thesite, an electric (or gas-powered) blower 22 is first connected to thehouse 10 with an air fill tube 24, and then turned on. Subject to thesizing of the blower 22 and house 10, the typical inflation of the house10 will take less than an hour. Furthermore, the transport, inflationand deflation of the house 10 can typically be accomplished by a singleperson. If we turn to FIG. 2, we can examine how the conventional bouncehouse is constructed.

[0007]FIG. 2 is a cutaway perspective view of the bounce house 10 ofFIG. 1. As can be seen, the roof and wall skins 18 and 20, respectively,are stretched between the inflated frame members 16. The frame members16 themselves are essentially long tubes made from rubber-impregnatedcanvas (much like an inflatable boat) and defined by a hollow framechamber 32 into which air from the blower (see FIG. 1) is blown.

[0008] Similarly, the floor pad 12 consists of a floor chamber 30enclosed between a floor pad bottom surface 28 (resting against theground), and a floor pad top surface 26 (upon which the childrenbounce). The frame chambers 32 and floor chamber 30 are in fluidcommunication with one another such that when one is inflated (ordeflated), the others are inflated or deflated as well. Because of thedurability of the material used for the frame members 16 and floor pad12, the house 10 can be inflated to a fairly high pressure whereexceptional structural integrity is necessary—this does not really addto the structural weight of the house 10 (at least when compared to thetent-type structures previously described).

[0009] Bounce houses 10 are constructed in a variety of shapes andsizes, including forms simulating animals, famous buildings, or evensinking cruise ships (the “Titanic”), with the intent being to providethe most entertainment for the children bouncing around inside of them.Common to all of these various shapes and sizes are the inflatable framemembers 16 and inflatable floor pad 12.

[0010] While the design for the bounce house 10 is interesting, it doesnot really provide the utility necessary for it to serve as a utilitystructure for temporary utilitarian use rather than as a child's playarea. What is needed is an inflatable utility structure that providesthe benefits of the bounce house 10 plus additional usefulness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the priordevices, it is an object of the present invention to provide anInflatable Shelter. The shelter should include a plurality of archedtubes designed to rest directly upon the ground or other surface. Inorder to provide cooling to occupants of the shelter, the shelter mayinclude an attachable misting mesh for dispensing a fine mist of wateror other fluid from the top of the shelter. It is a further object thatthe misting mesh may also be incorporated within the inflatable tubes ofthe shelter. It is another object that the shelter be attachable to aninflation air source as well as a liquid source for pressurizing themisting mesh. It is a still further object that the structure includetie-down loops extending from the feet of the arched tubes; these tubesbeing provided to accept stakes therethrough.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The objects and features of the present invention, which arebelieved to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appendedclaims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner ofoperation, together with further objects and advantages, may best beunderstood by reference to the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, of which:

[0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional inflatable “bouncehouse;”

[0014]FIG. 2 is a cutaway perspective view of the bounce house of FIG.1;

[0015]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of aninflatable shelter of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 4 is a cutaway perspective view of a preferred embodiment ofa rafter tube of the shelter of FIG. 3;

[0017]FIG. 5 is a cutaway perspective view of an alternate embodiment ofa rafter tube of the shelter of FIG. 3;

[0018]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred misting mesh used withthe shelter of FIG. 3;

[0019]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theshelter of the present invention; and

[0020]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an assembly including an alternateembodiment of a water source for use with the shelters of FIG. 3 or 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] The following description is provided to enable any personskilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the bestmodes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, since the generic principles of the presentinvention have been defined herein specifically to provide an InflatableShelter.

[0022] The present invention can best be understood by initialconsideration of FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferredembodiment of an inflatable shelter 40A of the present invention. Unlikethe conventional bounce house described above, the shelter of thepresent invention eliminates the floor pad; this is for at least tworeasons: (1) the floor pad provides unwanted cushioning, and (2) anyfloor covering (i.e. over the ground) in a utility environment willinvariably become soiled, will wear out, and perhaps may be a safetyhazard.

[0023] The structure 40A comprises a plurality of hollow, inflatablearched tubes 42 interconnected by hollow rafter tubes 44. The archedtubes 42 and rafter tubes 44 are in fluid communication with one anothersuch that when one is inflated or deflated, all others are inflated ordeflated as well. Of course, in larger or specialty designs, the tubes42 and 44 may be grouped together so that they might be inflatedseparately (e.g. from separate blowers 22).

[0024] In this embodiment, the arched tubes 42 comprise a pair ofvertical portions 46A each terminating at the ground in feet 52. At theopposite ends of the vertical portions 46A are sloped portions 48A;these then transition into a horizontal portion 50 (which interconnectsthe two sides).

[0025] As depicted, the vertical portions 46A each terminate in a foot52 at their ends. In close proximity to, or actually extending from eachfoot 52 are tie-down loops 54 or flaps for securing the shelter 40A tothe ground. The shelter 40A is preferably secured to the ground withstakes 56 or the like pounded through one or more of the tie-down loops.

[0026] Similar to the bounce house discussed previously, the shelter 40Ais erected by inflating with a blower 22 forcing air through an air fillhose 24. The hose 24 may be connected to any suitable connection pointprovided on any of the members of the shelter 40A—here it is shownconnected to the bottom of one of the vertical portions 46A of the thirdarched tube 42C.

[0027] In this embodiment, five arched tubes, 42A-42D, respectively, areemployed, however in other embodiments either more or fewer tubes 42 maybe used, depending upon the desired length of the shelter 40A.

[0028] In addition to those novel aspects previously discussed, onenotable aspect of the shelter 40A is that it can be configured todispense a water mist downwardly in order to cool off persons that areunder the shelter 40A. The misting system obtains its water for mistingfrom a water source 60A, such as the outdoor hose bib shown. Waterdispensed by the source 60A is carried to the shelter 40A by a watersupply hose 62, which then connects to the shelter at a water supplyport 58. Misting can be turned on or off either at the source 60A orsome other internal system valve. Examples of the entire misting systemwill be discussed below in connection with other drawing figures.

[0029] Also shown is a display panel 64 extending across the top sectionof the first arched tube 42A. This panel 64 may be used to advertise orto otherwise display indicia thereon. The panel 64 is preferably madefrom the same flexible material as the tubes 42 and 44.

[0030] Although not depicted here, it should be understood that theshelter may be configured with rollable or removable wall or roof panelsfor providing privacy, environmental protection, or even insectprotection (such as by screens). One embodiment may comprise apermanently-attached solid vinyl sheet covering over the top portion ofthe shelter 40A, and one or more vinyl sheets removably attached inbetween the vertical portions 46, such as by hook-and-loop fasteners.Now turning to FIG. 4, we can examine the invention in more detail.

[0031]FIG. 4 is a cutaway perspective view of a preferred embodiment ofa rafter tube 44 of the shelter of FIG. 3. In this embodiment, therafter tube 44 includes an internal water distribution hose 70A runningthrough the rafter tube chamber 72 for distributing water from thesupply system (see FIG. 3) and out to the individual misting nozzles66A. Under normal household pressure, the misting nozzles 66A willprovide a fine water mist 68 which serves to evaporatively cool the airin the general vicinity of the nozzles (i.e. inside the shelter). Inthis embodiments, the misting nozzles 66A protrude through the tube wall45 from the internal water distribution hose 70A. If we turn to FIG. 5,we can review another embodiment of the nozzle arrangement.

[0032]FIG. 5 is a cutaway perspective view of an alternate embodiment ofa rafter tube 44 of the shelter of FIG. 3. In this embodiment, there areone or more hose clips 74 attached to (or molded into) the outside ofthe tube wall 45. The hose clips 74 are configured to securely grasp theexternal water distribution hose 70B therein. The benefits of thisexternally-mounted version is that the rafter tube 44 air-tightintegrity is not jeopardized by the through-penetration of the nozzles,and furthermore, there is greater flexibility and control by the user ofthe positioning of the misting nozzles 66B—in fact, the nozzles 66Bmight be re-positionable from location to location on the shelter. Itshould further be understood that while FIGS. 4 and 5 depict the nozzles66 extending from the rafter tube 44, they may also be positioned inother locations (e.g. from the arched tubes). Now turning to FIG. 6, wecan examine how the individual misting nozzles are interrelated.

[0033]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred misting mesh 76 usedwith the shelter of FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the misting mesh 76refers to a matrix of interconnected piping or tubes 78 that distributewater from the water supply port 58 and out to the individual mistingnozzles 66. As discussed above, the tubes 78 may be retained within theinflated structural tubes, or they may be attached to the outer surfacesof the structural tubes, or the may the positioned in a way that is acombination of the two. Furthermore, although not depicted here, ashutoff valve and/or pressure regulator may be included in the firstbranch tube 78A; provided to control the water pressure and flow. Thematerial used for the tubes 78 is extremely flexible and durable inorder to permit the structure to be collapsed and packed into a singlebag without damage to either the shelter or the mesh 76. Similarly, thenozzles 66 are constructed in a way to prevent their cutting into any ofthe other portions of the shelter (i.e. from plastic with no sharpedges). Having completed the review of a first embodiment of the shelterof the present invention, we will now turn to FIG. 7.

[0034]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theshelter 40B of the present invention. In this embodiment 40B, alternatearched tubes 43 are employed. These alternate arched tubes 43 comprisevertical portions 46B and long sloped portions 48B, with the slopedportions 48B meeting at the peak 80 of the shelter 40B. This designprovides more headroom than the previously-described embodiment, whileretaining the benefits of light weight and ease of erection and packing.Although only three rows of rafter tubes 44 are shown here, it should beunderstood that additional rows may be added in alternate embodiments.Another optional element in this present invention is the second row ofrafter tubes 47; these second rafter tubes 47, if included, areessentially the same construction as those previously discussed (tubes44).

[0035] Similar to the previous shelter embodiment, another embodiment ofthe instant shelter 40B may comprise a permanently-attached solid vinylsheet covering over the top portion (i.e. over the sloped portions 48and peaks 80) of the shelter 40A, and one or more vinyl sheets removablyattached in between the vertical portions 46, such as by hook-and-loopfasteners. Finally turning to FIG. 8, we can evaluate yet anotheralternate embodiment of a component of the present invention.

[0036]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an assembly including an alternateembodiment of a water source 60B for use with the shelters of FIG. 3 or7. In some remote locations, for example construction sites or remoteholes on golf courses, there may not be a permanent water supplyavailable; there may, however be electrical power available (e.g. fromgenerators or inverters). In such cases, an alternate water source 60Bmay be utilized. This alternate source includes a water pump 82 and aportable water reservoir 84 (although a lake or pond may be used, if itis clean enough). In this example, the water pump 82 and blower 22 areboth being run from the same motor 88. In other embodiments, the pump 82and blower might be separate. Furthermore, it should be appreciated thatthe portable water reservoir 84 shown here is simply an theoreticalexample to demonstrate functional relations between the components; itis not intended to restrict the potential form of the reservoir 84 inany way.

[0037] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptationsand modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can beconfigured without departing from the scope and spirit, of theinvention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope ofthe appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than asspecifically described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A structure, comprising: a plurality ofinterconnecting inflatable tubes; and at least one misting nozzleextending therefrom.
 2. The structure of claim 1, wherein: saidstructure comprises at least two inflatable arched tubes; and saidmisting nozzle extends from a branch tube, said branch tube in fluidcommunication with a fluid source.
 3. The structure of claim 2, wherein:said fluid source comprises a suction hose interconnected with a fluidpump; and said fluid pump in fluid communication with a supply hose,said supply hose in fluid communication with said branch tube and saidmisting nozzle.
 4. The structure of claim 3, wherein: said inflatablearched tubes are defined by arched tube chambers, said arched tubes areattached to one another by at least one rafter tube, each said raftertube defining a rafter tube chamber, each said rafter tube chamber influid communication with at least one said attached arched tube chamber.5. An inflatable shelter, comprising: four arched tubes, each saidarched tube defined by a substantially airtight tube wall confining anarched tube chamber; at least three rafter tubes interconnecting saidfour arched tubes, each said rafter tube defined by a substantiallyairtight tube wall confining a rafter tube chamber, said rafter tubechambers and said arched tube chambers in fluid communication with eachother; and a misting mesh attached to said shelter, said misting meshdefined by a plurality of misting nozzles and at least one branch tubeconnected thereto.
 6. The shelter of claim 5, wherein each said archedtube is further defined by: a pair of opposing vertical portionsterminating in feet; and a pair of sloped portions extending from saidvertical portions opposite from said feet.
 7. The shelter of claim 6,wherein said misting mesh is in fluid communication with a pressurizedfluid source.
 8. The shelter of claim 7, further comprising tiedownloops extending from at least one of said feet.
 9. The shelter of claim8, wherein said sloped portions meet at a peak.
 10. The shelter of claim8, wherein each said arched tube is defined by a horizontal portionextending between said pair of sloped portions.
 11. The shelter of claim6, wherein said branch tubes are retained within said chambers and saidmisting nozzles connect to said branch tubes and protrude through saidwalls.
 12. The shelter of claim 6, further comprising a plurality ofhose clips extending from the outer surface of said walls, said branchtubes retained within said hose clips.
 13. An inflatable shelter andcooling system combination, comprising: four arched tubes, each saidarched tube defined by a substantially airtight tube wall confining anarched tube chamber; at least three rafter tubes interconnecting saidfour arched tubes, each said rafter tube defined by a substantiallyairtight tube wall confining a rafter tube chamber, said rafter tubechambers and said arched tube chambers in fluid communication with eachother; and a misting mesh attached to said shelter, said misting meshdefined by a plurality of misting nozzles and at least one branch tubeconnected thereto.
 14. The shelter and cooling system of claim 13,wherein said misting mesh is in fluid communication with a pressurizedfluid source.
 15. The shelter and cooling system of claim 14, furthercomprising tiedown loops extending from at least one of said feet. 16.The shelter and cooling system of claim 14, wherein said branch tubesare retained within said chambers and said misting nozzles connect tosaid branch tubes and protrude through said walls.
 17. The shelter andcooling system of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of hose clipsextending from the outer surface of said walls, said branch tubesretained within said hose clips.